I know that the emission of photons occurs when electrons are accelerated or deflected.
Since electrons are also accelerated in antenna rods, the concept of photon emission should also be applicable here.
Is this the case?
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asked Nov 22, 2022 at 7:10
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2$\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? Quantum description of radio antenna, Does a radio receiver "collapse" a radio wave function? $\endgroup$– Roger V.Commented Nov 22, 2022 at 8:43
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1 Answer
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Yes, acceleration of charged particles (such as electrons in an antenna) can cause excitations in the quantum electromagnetic field. These excitations are called quanta.
In practice it is more challenging to observe quantum effects in the electromagnetic field at radio frequencies than it is to observe these effects for microwave or optical frequencies. That is, most radio physics can be explained very well using classical mechanics. But nonetheless, the theory of quantum electrodynamics makes no distinction between low and high frequencies of EM radiation.
Here's a pop sci article about cooling modes of a radio wave resonator near to the quantum ground state. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-cooling-radio-quantum-ground-state.html
answered Nov 22, 2022 at 8:12